Fantastic Caste System: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

]

 

 

{{quote|''"They build. You pray. We fight."''|'''Neroon''', ''[[Babylon 5]]''}}

 

== Anime and Manga ==

 

 

 

 

== Film ==

 

 

== Literature ==

* H.G. Wells' ''[[The Time Machine]]'' is one of the creators of this trope, having the protagonist explicitly comment that the two species, the Eloi and Morlocks, were a result of social inequality reaching an extreme. It does differ from later examples though, in that both the elites (Eloi) and workers (Morlocks) are dehumanized and there's more [[I'm a Humanitarian|"quid pro quo"]] ([[It Was His Sled|Morlocks hunt Eloi]]).

* ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four|1984]]'' flirts with this idea, as while the Proles are the neglected underclass, this has the advantage of freeing them from [[Big Brother Is Watching]], and in this way they are better off than the middle class, or "Outer Party" individuals like Winston Smith (assuming they're not sent to die in the war).

* Early in his career, Piers Anthony wrote a short story, "In The Barn", about a parallel Earth where all non-human mammals had gone extinct millenia ago. Rather than go without milk, the inhabitants developed breeds of ''humans'' to serve as milk cows, with too-bloated-for-anime breasts and tongues clipped at birth to ensure they'd never learn to communicate. An [[Anvilicious]] parable by a vegetarian, it would've been followed by two more stories -- one set in a slaughterhouse (eek!), the other at a rodeo (urk!) -- if he could've sold them at the time.

* In [[Isaac Asimov]]'s short story ''Strikebreaker'', an entire inhabited asteroid is on the verge of death, as the man who runs the world's septic treatment plant goes on strike, sick of his family being ostracized for his job; putting the planet at risk of dying from the backup of waste. A visiting reporter from offworld, not willing to let everyone die from their bigotry, volunteers to go operate the machinery. With the knowledge that the asteroid can get someone from offword to operate the plant, thus his strike has failed, the worker goes back to work. At that point the reporter is told (over radio) to go directly to his ship, and not to interact with any citizens; thanks for saving the entire asteroid, now piss off, you disgusting outcast.

* The ship in [[Sandy Mitchell]]'s [[Dark Heresy]] novel ''Innocence Proves Nothing'' is full of hereditary jobs with fancy titles.

** The fact that they are so physically different would make it more of a [[Bug Caste System]] anyway.

* [[Merry Gentry]]'s Faerie Courts are highly stratified. All the sidhe and only sidhe are nobles. Demi-fey, brownies, and other magically strong but physically weak types fill domestic servant roles. The incredibly strong but magic-less goblins are designated shock troops. Though some of the lesser fey can be nobles in their own courts, they are all subordinate to the sidhe nobles of the high court.

** There are instances of humans becoming fey, and fey becoming sidhe, but the subject's taboo (and in the case of humans kind of overlaps with [[Ambition Is Evil]]). There are also strong hints that the caste system's so strict as a result of human population crowding the supernaturals together; there are fewer sidhe Courts and fey societies than there should be.

* In [[Star Trek Vanguard]], alien [[Precursors]] the Shedai are divided between the ranks of the Nameless, each confined to only one body, and the elite ''Serrataal'' with individual names, e.g. The Maker, The Wanderer, The Myrmidon, who can take multiple forms simultaneously.

** In [[Star Trek Typhon Pact]], the Gorn caste system is explored in some depth. It includes Political, Warrior, Technologist and Labourer castes. The Tzenkethi also have a caste system of sorts, with different echelons into which their citizens are placed after testing in youth. However, they dislike it when people use the term "caste system" to describe it.

** The Yrythny in the [[Star Trek Deep Space Nine Relaunch]] are divided between the Houseborn and the Wanderers. Yrythny breed by laying eggs in the water, which develop as tadpoles before coming ashore later in childhood. Those young which come ashore at the same House at which they were laid are Houseborn, and make up the ruling caste. "Wanderers" are considered inferior on account of having gotten "lost". Tensions between the castes are high, and a full-blown revolutionary war was seemingly brewing among the Wanderers as of This Gray Spirit.

* The Garth Nix series Seventh features a large, towerlike complex which is home to an entire society with a color-based caste system, based on their color-based magic system, where a more powerful color in magic equated to a higher rank in everything else. A person who was designated Green, for example could use magic, visit floors of the complex, and engage in hobbies associated with Green and all lower-ranking colors, but couldn't do anything or go anywhere more highly ranked without special dispensation. At the bottom of the stack (and on the bottom floors of the complex) were an uncolored servant caste; being made a member of their ranks was considered the ultimate punishment.

** It is at least more meritocratic than most caste systems, since the higher levels are based at least in part on competence and promotion up them is quite common.

* [[Sergey Lukyanenko]]'s novel ''[[Genome]]'' is set around the idea of people in the far future being set into a specific career path before they're even born via the use of [[Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke|genetic engineering]], essentially turning them into [[Gattaca Babies]]. While parents can buy their unborn children whatever specification they can afford, in practice, most parents usually go with their own spec for their kid. This is because each Spec loves his or her job implicitly. There is plenty of bad blood between Specs and Naturals (the un-modified). There is also a planet called Heraldica, populated by the descendants of aristocrats and the Spec'ed servants. And yes, the servants love their jobs and turn their children into servants as well. The nobles often have hunting games, chasing servants and shooting them with stun guns.

 

 

== Live Action TV ==

* The Minbari caste system in ''[[Babylon 5]]''. The Minbari have three castes: Religious, Soldier and Worker (as per the page quote), which each have three representatives on the Minbari ruling council. The Religious and Soldier castes constantly fight each other for dominance while the workers [[Hufflepuff House|are ignored or even forgotten, including by the story]]. The Minbari system was consciously modeled on the Medieval European idea that society was divided between those who work (peasants, serfs, and craftsmen), those who fight (knights and other members of the aristocracy), and those who pray (priests, nuns, and monks).

** Though amusingly enough, {{spoiler|the working class ends up the dominant caste.}}

** [[Word of God]] says that most of the Minbari warships are owned by the worker and religious castes and chartered to the warriors. This explains why the Minbari were able to keep their end up against the Shadows without the help of the Warrior Caste. It also hints that the system is probably complex involving turf wars and assignments of jurisdiction to castes that have little relation to their nominal purpose. Delenn is more a stateswoman then a priestess though she was one of the Sisters of Valeria in her youth.

** One episode has a time traveling Bajoran, claiming to be the Emissary, try to restore the caste system, which would have cost Bajor its chance at Federation membership. Sisko eventually challenged the time traveller for the Emissary title after caste-based discrimination lead to violence on the station.

** Founders > Vorta > Jem'hadar > "Everyone else" was the most basic rule in the Dominion.

*** Though, if you ask the Jem'hadar, they don't feel the middleman is strictly necessary. But, as the Founders wish it, they go along willingly.

* The ''[[Kamen Rider Decade|Decade]]'' version of the BOARD Corporation from ''[[Kamen Rider Blade]]'' uses a caste system modeled on playing cards to determine your privileges, pay scale, and even the kind of lunch you get at the cafeteria. Promotions and demotions seem almost arbitrary and sometimes run against common sense; in the first episode of the story arc, Kazuma/Blade is demoted because he went out of his way to protect [[Mission Control|Mutsuki]] rather than focusing entirely on fighting the [[Monster of the Week|Undead]].

** There is this within the Goa'uld too. The Supreme System Lord rules on top, followed by the System Lords, each System Lord has a retinue of Underlords, who have their own retinues of Goa'uld Scientists and courtiers. Queens are generally not "true" lords, and are often regarded as prizes for actual lords to be kept as mates.

** There was also an episode where the worker caste were forced to mine and provide energy for the higher class and didn't even know that the upper caste existed. It wasn't explored if the common upper class people even knew there were workers, as [[SG 1]] were sent to the mines for wanting to explore the frozen tundra.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** The Bant shard (the shard composed mostly of White mana with Green and Blue supporting it) in the ''Shards of Alara'' series/trilogy employs a rigid caste system based on the acquisition of sigils, marks of great valor. While it is possible to move up depending on how many sigils one obtains, it's still monumentally difficult. The lack of black and red mana -- meaning virtually no magic can cause unnatural deaths or aimless destruction, but at the same time no magic that supports ambition, desire, or emotional content -- doesn't help.

* The Tau Empire in ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' have four castes loosely based on the four Hindu Varnas but with [[Theme Naming|Elemental Theme Naming]]: the "Fio" (Earth) caste performs manual labour as well as scientific research, the "Kor" (Air) caste covers piloting and transportation, the "Por" (Water) caste deals with politics and diplomacy, and the "Shas" (Fire) caste serves as the Tau military. There is also a fifth caste: the "Aun" (Ethereal) caste, who govern the empire. In addition, caste members have a rank for their place within the caste. In ascending order from lowest to highest: Saal, La, Ui, Vre, El, and O. For example, a "Fio'La" is the equivalent of a factory labourer, a "Shas'Vre" is the equivalent of a military veteran or officer, and an "Aun'O" is the equivalent of a king or emperor. A Tau's caste and rank make up part of their name.

* In [[Traveller]] the entire Third Imperium depends on the team spirit of the ruling class. Unlike other empires the Third Imperium does not have an ethnic group as it's cadre. Instead it has a caste.

** The Zhodani have psionics, semi-psionics, and "proles". The proles are always happy because if they are so presumptuous as to be unhappy [[Mind Manipulation|arrangements can be made]].

** The K'kree group their castes into servants (farmers, factory workers, unskilled labor), merchants (skilled workers, scientists, merchants, businessmen), and nobles. Unlike most systems members of all castes are expected to serve in the military.

** The Droyne are classed into workers, warriors, drones, technicians, leaders, and a "jack of all trades" sport caste.

** While not so much social castes as power-based strata, the whole setting can be divided into four levels, basically; mortal non-Essence-Wielders (basically [[Muggles]]), Terrestrial-level Essence-wielders (Enlightened Mortals, Dragonblooded Exalts, Lesser Gods and First Circle Demons), Celestial-level beings (Lunar, Alchemical and Sidereal Exalts, Major Gods and Second Circle Demons) and Solar-level entities (Solar Exalted, the Celestial Incarnae, and Third Circle Demons). Primordials hover somewhere around Solars, with more inherent power but nowhere near the flexibility.

** The Realm is basically divided into slaves, peasants, patricians (wealthier mortals with blood ties to the Dragon-Blooded host) and Dynasts (Dragon-Blooded families). Dynasts who don't Exalt are usually treated like red-headed stepchildren, and members of lower castes who become Dragon-Bloods are adopted by the Dynastic Houses ASAP. And of course, any who Exalt as Solars or Lunars are hunted down like dogs, this is the Realm we're talking about.

* [[New Horizon]] has the Medeans, who have established a sort of monarchy.

* ''[[Paranoia]]'' enforces a strict caste system with color-based security clearances applying to ''everything'': what your job is, what you can eat, wear and own, who you defer to, even what rooms you can be in. If you're yellow, you eat yellow food in a yellow cafeteria, obey the greens while you yell at oranges and reds, carry a yellow laser, wear yellow clothes or armor (good against anything up to yellow lasers), and can read anything written on yellow stationary. If you're infrared, you're a heavily drugged prole who can be shot for looking funnily, then shot again for bleeding above your clearance. If you're ultraviolet... you're basically a living god and legend, lives in the lap of utter luxury, can commit treasonous acts in full view of anyone with no risk of getting caught, and is permitted to reprogram The Computer for your own designs.

== Western Animation ==

* The titular machines in ''[[Rollbots]]'' are divided into "tribes" by function. Main character Spin is an oddity, having no known tribe.

* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom's capital feature caste systems.

** The city of Ba Sing Se divides its classes into three concentric zones, with war refuges and the poor crammed into the Lower Ring, merchants and the middle class in the Middle Ring, the nobility in the Upper Ring, and the Earth King's palace at the very center of it all.

[[Category:Fantastic Caste System]]

[[Category:Broken image markup]]